ALCOHOLS

Isopropyl alcohol is readily available. Like acetone, it dissolves a wide range of polar compounds. It is also relatively non-toxic and evaporates quickly. Thus it is used widely as a solvent and as a cleaning fluid, especially for dissolving lipophilic contaminants such as oil. Examples include cleaning electronic devices such as contact pins (like those on ROM cartridges), magnetic tape and disk heads (such as those in audio and video tape recorders and floppy disk drives), the lenses of lasers in optical disc drives.

N-Butanol or N-Butyl alcohol (sometimes called biobutanol when produced biologically)^[6] is a primary alcohol with a 4-carbon structure and the molecular formula C₄H₁₀O. It is one of the group of "fusel alcohols" (from the German for "bad liquor"), which have more than two carbon atoms and have significant solubility in water.

 

N-butanol is an intermediate in the production of butyl acrylate, butyl acetate, dibutyl phthalate, dibutyl sebacate and other butyl esters,^[12][13] butyl ethers such as ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, di- and triethylene glycol monobutyl ether and the corresponding butyl ether acetates. Other industrial uses include the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, polymers, pyroxylin plastics, herbicide esters (e.g., 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T)^[14] and butyl xanthate. It is also used as a diluent/reactant in the manufacture of urea–formaldehyde and melamine–formaldehyde resins.

 

N-Butanol is used as an ingredient in perfumes and as a solvent for the extraction of essential oils.^[12] n-Butanol is also used as an extractant in the manufacture of antibiotics, hormones, and vitamins;^[12][13] a solvent for paints, coatings, natural resins, gums, synthetic resins, dyes, alkaloids, and camphor.^[12][13] Other miscellaneous applications of n-butanol are as a swelling agent in textiles, as a component of brake fluids, cleaning formulations, degreasers, and repellents;^[8] and as a component of ore floation agents,^[14] and of wood-treating systems.